thebigfatnoodle

Crispy mah mee with chicken and prawn

This noodle dish isn’t complete without a saucer of pickled green chillies so if you have time, do try and make the green chillies the day before.

Pickled green chillies (make this 1 day before)

Approx 15 green chillies, sliced

1 cup Chinese rice vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

Place your sliced green chillies in a boil and cover with boiling water. Allow the chillies to steep in the boiling water for between 12-15 minutes. Drain the chillies well and put them into a jar. Cover the chillies with the vinegar and add the salt and sugar. Stir until the sugar and salt has dissolved and leave overnight.

 

Chicken marinade

1 large chicken breast, finely sliced

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon of mirin (or chinese rice wine / dry sherry)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix all of these ingredients and let it marinade for about 15 minutes (you can fry your noodles while your chicken is marinating)

To make the crispy mee (for 2)

120 grams thin egg noodles, cooked (as per the cooking instructions) and drained as much as possible. (Hint: I use a salad spinner and we do that with pasta too to get rid of the excess water)

Roughly portion the noodles out into 4 rough portions.

In big wok, heat 1 cup of vegetable until super hot and gently drop 1 portion of noodles into the hot oil. Using a spatula, try and fan the noodles out. Fry until crisp, flipping the noodles over to make sure they fry on both sides. It can take anywhere between 5-10 minutes to get each batch crispy.

Remove the noodles from the oil and let them drain on paper towels to catch any excess oil.

Repeat until you’ve crisped all the noodles. Set aside the noodles.

Retain 2 tablespoons of the oil for making the stir fry (discard the rest of the oil)

Stir fry (makes 2-4 portions depending on how hungry you are!)

6-8 raw tiger prawns, peeled, de-veined and butterflied

1 red/white onion, peeled and sliced/quartered

3 pieces of ginger, peeled and pounded/minced

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and pounded/minced

1 carrot, sliced

1 cup of mange tout

1 cup of french beans, topped, tailed and sliced in half if necessary

5-6 spears of baby corn

3-4 mushrooms, sliced

2 cups of stock (vegetable/chicken)

½ cup cold water mixed with 2 tablespoons cornflour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt & white pepper for seasoning

On high heat, stir fry your onions for a minute or so and then add the minced garlic and ginger. Fry for another 30 seconds and then add the chicken.

Give the chicken a good mix so the onions, ginger and garlic are mixed through. Put a lid on the wok and allow the chicken to cook for about 1 minute. Stir it again and put the lid back for another minute.

Add all of your vegetables, give the stir fry a good toss and then pour your stock in. Mix well, cover the lid again and let the vegetables and chicken stew for about 2 – 3 minutes.

Finally, give your cornflour mixture a stir and pour it over your stir fry. You’ll see your sauce thicken and turn glossy. You only need to cook this for another minute or so and then you’re ready to serve.

Dishing up
Place 1-2 pieces of your fried noodle on a flat plate and spoon your stir fry mixture over the top, making sure you put a good ladle of the sauce all over.

Serve your crispy mah mee with a small dish of pickled green chillies covered in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.